And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”
In his last words to Israel, spoken at the town of Shechem, Joshua retold all God had done for them — He called Abraham out of an idol-worshipping family, and He gave them a land they never built. Only then does he tell them to settle whom they will serve — and the question is whether they knew what they were agreeing to.
The Ground of the Appeal
The call to choose does not stand on its own. It comes after a long account in which God is the only one acting. One writer sums up that account:
H Forbes WitherbySo these last words from God to Israel, spoken through Joshua, deserve our closest attention. From first to last (verses 2-13) they recount God's sovereignty, power, and grace. He showed His sovereignty by bringing their fathers out of idolatry. He showed His power by rescuing the people from their enemies. He showed His grace by settling them in the land He gave them. As we think about the sovereign favour, power, and grace of our God and Father, we should clear out of our lives the evil thing He hates.
The Options on the Table
Joshua names two rival options. One is the gods their ancestors served across the river. The other is the gods of the Amorites, the people whose land Israel now lived in. The pull of those older, ancestral idols is not a thing of the past:
Leslie M. GrantGod had blessed them so richly. So it was only right that Israel should serve the Lord with a whole heart, in sincerity and truth. That meant putting away the idols Abraham had served long before (v.14) and left behind when he came to Canaan. People often go back to idols that were popular many years before. Today many people in western nations are turning to idol-like mysticism. It had no place when Christianity had a strong voice in these nations.
What the Choice Really Asks
Commentators differ over how the offer works. Some read it as a straight summons to decide for God. Another says the choice Joshua offers is between one set of idols and another, not between God and idols:
W. TrotterThe fact is, he does not call on them to choose between the Lord and idols. He says, "If it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose which set of idols you will serve — these or those." By God's grace, as we know, he had settled it: he would serve the Lord. Then the people declare that they too will serve the Lord. They may mean well, but they speak as if they can do it in their own strength. How does Joshua take their promise? He answers, "You cannot serve the Lord, for He is a holy God. He is a jealous God."
Nothing Halfway
Read as an appeal, the call leaves no room for a divided heart. God had already proved that He was for them, so the demand was a fair one:
C. H. MackintoshHe presses on them that they must decide with their whole heart. "Choose this day whom you will serve." There is nothing like plain, out-and-out decision for God. It is due to Him always. He had proved beyond doubt that He was for them. He rescued them from slavery in Egypt. He brought them through the desert. He planted them in the land of Canaan. So it was only reasonable that they should be wholly His.
"Me and My House"
Joshua does not answer for himself alone. He pledges a household, and one writer presses why the two cannot be separated:
C. H. MackintoshNotice, "me and my house." He felt it was not enough to keep himself clear of idolatry. He also had to watch the character and daily life of his house. Joshua might not worship idols. But if his children did, would he be free of blame? No. What is more, idolatry in Joshua's house would ruin the witness to the truth just as much as idolatry in Joshua himself.
The Reach and the Limit of One Man
Joshua answers for his own house and no further. He could not answer for anyone else:
H Forbes WitherbyHe was the leader, but he could only ask others to follow his example and be sincere, true, and thorough for God. Every person and every household must deal with God on their own. Joshua could only answer for himself and his own house, and this he did. Let us test ourselves, and measure our ways by his words.
That limit is also a comfort. Another writer applies it to the whole nation:
C. H. MackintoshThe nation's religion might fall into ruin, and it did. But by the grace of God, one person and one family could hold on anywhere, at any time.
Saying It Is Not Doing It
The people answer Joshua at once with a promise. But a promise is not the same as clearing out the idols:
H Forbes WitherbyIt is always easier to say "We will serve the Lord" than to clear the idols out of our lives. It is easier to decide to serve the Lord than to bury our household gods under an oak at Shechem. But God tells us first to bury our idols, and then to serve Him. That is the order of His appeal to us, when He says, "cease to do evil, learn to do good" (Isaiah 1:16-17).
Summary
- Grace first. The call to choose comes only after a long account of God's sovereignty, power and grace. Whole-hearted service is a response to what He has already done.
- Grace's rivals. Joshua names two sets of idols: the gods of their ancestors and the gods of the land. Old idols come back once faith loses its voice.
- Grace's verdict. Commentators differ on whether Joshua offers a real choice or only a choice among idols. All agree that a divided heart will not do.
- Grace's house. Keeping himself clean was not enough for Joshua. His children's idolatry would ruin his witness just as much as his own.
- Grace lasts. Each household deals with God on its own. When public religion collapses, one family can still stand — if it buries the idols instead of just talking about them.